Welcome to Mary Lou's Sitting Room

Hello! You are entering the world of Mary Lou...hope you have fun here! I created this blog to be a place of refuge in the storm, inspiration in the fog, light in the darkness, and hope for your life. I love to encourage people and have fun-I hope you will find this true as you visit me here. I plan on writing about all types of subjects, because I am interested in all the good things God has made, so hang on for the ride~! I love to sew and also cook...hence the name..

Friday, February 10, 2012

My story...

 There once was a girl born into a family in the Midwest. She had a sister and 4 brothers and parents that were steadfast in both the good times and the bad.
  The parents loved their 6 children very much, but they weren't extremely affectionate or outward in expressing that love.  The children knew they were loved, though.  And the children loved their parents very much as well....but...something was missing....


 Life as a child in the Midwest was very "normal"...the girl was a tom-boy and followed her older brother around and wanted to be able to do everything he could do, but there was a problem...he was 3 years older. She didn't let that stop her - she still tried to climb every tree, play every sport that the older brother played.

They played baseball in the lot after school, played "kill the guy with the ball" in fall, which meant you had to tackle whoever caught the football....played "king on the hill", when they could find a hill to climb....and played "ring the doorbell" or hide & seek on summer nights in the dark. They even played "Indian Ball" in the street when there were just 2 or 3 people available.

 Life was pretty simple, safe and fun.  The six children loved to play together as kids and as adults love nothing more than to tease each other to death...all the time, and over nothing at all....but still, something was missing.....
Then they grew up and went their separate ways.  After a few years the girl met a handsome "hippie" dude who was riding a bicycle and stopped to talk with her brother out in the street.  He had long, wavy hair almost down to his shoulders and wore sunglasses and a black leather jacket....cool, man!
The girl by now was also a type of "hippie" and had long straight hair down to her waist, and bangs on her forehead. They talked about music and found a connection...sparks flew.  And then they began a relationship based on talking & playing baseball with the new guy, her brother, and some friends after work each night.

  This went on for that whole summer of 1972.  They decided to marry in early 1974 and were married at the Catholic church with 200 people in attendance. Life was good....most of the time...love was strong.  But then a few weeks later the girl quit her job & figured she'd find one closer to home....and then 6 days later the handsome hippie husband got laid off at his job...so....here they were, married only a month and no work!...and still....something was missing in the deepest part of their hearts & lives and now they began to realize that.

The girl's parents had recently begun attending what was known then as "Charismatic Masses" where the Holy Spirit would fill people...even the priests and nuns would worship with hands raised and singing "in the Spirit"! They were transformed overnight...even though the parents' own marriage was struggling with all the stresses of having 3 teenage sons still at home. They began reading their bibles and listening to praise & worship music and talking about God all the time...it was so foreign to all the children & relatives, no one knew quite what to think of it!  The girl's mother kept nagging them to come to one of the masses until finally, after the loss of both jobs, the girl realized there was a need in her life that drugs, alcohol, and young love could not fill.
So the girl and her hippie husband went to one of these masses and began to experience a change in their lives as well. They attended prayer meetings in their church's basement...they heard & realized for the very first time that God loved THEM....God wanted a personal relationship with them, and not just a bunch of "religious activity...so they sang praise songs and learned that Jesus Christ was REAL and ALIVE and that he died on the Cross because He loved them so very much and he died for a purpose - to bear the burden of their sin before God and to cleanse them from that sin! It was His grace that was poured out for them and into them, and He even gave the faith to believe it....
They were amazed! They were astounded! They were forever changed! They began living for God and studying His Word to find out more about Him, and as they did they were changed even more and filled with a peace and joy that would never leave. God revealed Himself to them and His purpose for their lives and they knew what real contentment and fulfillment was....and they still do....it's Eternal Life - knowing God and Jesus, His Son, personally. Life can be difficult at times, but God doesn't abandon them. He is always there to bring wisdom and peace and guidance for every step of the road they walk.  He heals and forgives and gives them the ability to love & forgive in return. The story is not over and won't be until they put her in the ground...and then it will only change in that the girl will be living in the REAL world with Her Savior and Master and Lord forever and ever and ever....and ever! Amen!  :)  and, p.s.  ...He will do the same for you, too!

2 comments:

  1. You should become a writer, Aunt Mary Lou! This was great. :)

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    1. Thanks, Katie! I enjoyed it & threw it together rather quickly...you never know...I just might write a book someday!

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